Mall of Reconcilement
by Vanille Strawberry
Summary: Aang was aware that they were at a dangerous stage in reconcilement. If he messed this up, he could kiss their friendship goodbye. Request fic for timisnotmyname. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar. I own a chair named Dexter :D

A/N: Yay! I was waiting for this ever since I started school. I got sick. Yup, you heard it. I am now lying in bed, listening to Sarah Silverman and writing this up. It's cloudy, raining and cold. I love being sick! I love to stay home with my dog and TV and computer and fridge and art and sanity... oops, that's gone.

This is for timisnotmyname, enjoy and have fun. Goes far all the other readers too.

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-Mall of Reconcilement-

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Katara sniffled slightly, dabbing at her eyes with Toph's spotted handkerchief. The colour blind girl stood outside the bathroom stall awkwardly, listening to her friend's account of the last hour. From what she had been able to decipher from the hysterical crying, Aang had done something stupid.

"And then he grabbed her _chest!" _Katara moaned, burying her head across her folded arms.

Toph winced and hopped from foot to foot. She'd known Aang for over three years, a slightly lesser period then Katara and the others, but even from that, she'd deduced that grabbing a random girl's chest was not his style. He was kind, helplessly in love with Katara, a pacifist (unless in a dire situation) and a strong believer in the consumption of tofu bacon. In all, her list contained no traces of him snogging girls.

"So he was kissing her, and then you saw him grab her… _bust,_ before you ran away?"

Katara let out an affirmative whimper, "I figured he was a little jealous of Jet and Haru spending the day with us, but I never thought he'd stoop so low as to make out with some- some… some _floozy_!"

Toph opened the stall to find the slightly older girl holding her face in her hands. It was a sight she was not used to seeing. Katara was always the strong one, the mature responsible adult they relied on to help them make choices, whether it be career choices or just what shirt to buy.

Toph helped her to stand, giving Katara a small one-armed hug.

"Zuko phoned his Uncle. He's coming to pick us up, unless…" Toph trailed off uncertainly leading Katara to the sinks. The girl wiped the dripping mascara off her cheeks and smiled bitterly.

"I need to speak with Aang. I'll be going home with him."

"You sure?" Toph asked rubbing the girls back in a small circular motion.

It was rare for her to openly show any caring or motherly affection to anyone. That was Katara's job. However, seeing as the older girl was a little preoccupied it seemed to fall on her.

Katara gave a un-lady like snort.

"Nope," she sighed straightening up, "I still need to talk to him though."

Toph grinned, brushing a few bangs away from her eyes. "Look out Aang."

"He better."

--

Aang sat crouched outside the girl's bathrooms head in his hands, breathing deeply. A large yellow, purple bruise adorned his right eye from where Sokka had hit him earlier. His fingers ghosted the swelling skin, and he instantly winced at the sharp pain.

Someone cleared his or her throat at his side, and standing to attention, he noticed it was Toph. At the colour blind girl's side was Katara, puffy eyed, with her jaw set.

Aang took a desperate step forward, "Katara…"

She put up a hand, silencing him. Katara shared a fleeting look with Toph and the younger girl departed to the opposite exit of the mall.

Aang was aware that they were at a dangerous stage in reconcilement. If he messed this up, he could kiss their friendship goodbye.

"Take me home Aang," Katara whispered, walking past him.

The boy blinked and had jog to catch up with her.

"I thought you'd want to go home with Iroh and the others," he said.

Katara's eyes narrowed. "Take me home Aang," she said once again, tersely this time.

He kept quiet all the way to his car. Opening her door for her and slowly turning the key in the ignition once he was seated, Aang debated whether to turn down the radio, but this was decided for him as Katara turned it off altogether.

"We need to talk," she said once he had reversed out of the parking space.

He nodded.

"I'm going to ask you questions. _You _are going to give me answers. It'll go faster and easier for the both of us."

He nodded again.

Katara took a deep breath and began, "Did you know her?"

"No."

She grimaced. So Aang had kissed a random girl.

"Did she know you?"

Aang took a right turn out of the mall parking lot.

"I wouldn't think so."

"Why did you kiss her?"

"I didn't."

Katara glowered at the side of his face, his eyes calmly surveying the traffic ahead. Their was no point in lying. She'd seen them in plain sight. Aang had excused himself to a nearby bookstore and when she'd rejoined him, how surprised she had been to see a small petite red head attached to his lips.

She wondered vaguely why she was so mad at him. He obviously did not feel the same way she did. He obviously didn't love her like she did him.

"Fine. Why were your lips pressed against hers?"

He winced and she grinned.

"In all honesty, I have no idea. I was looking for that play we're doing in school; The Boyfriend remember? She came up, asked if I knew you and then threw herself at me like she was possessed." Aang shuddered lightly. "Worst kiss of my life."

Katara quirked an eyebrow in amusement, "Really?"

Aang smiled slightly, looking at her from the corner of his eye, "Oh, yeah! If the smell of onion and cheese hadn't gotten to me, her tongue forcing its way down my throat did. Nearly made me gag."

She giggled, "Stop that."

He bit his lip to keep from grinning.

"Stop what?"

Katara suppressed a smile of her own, "That," she said, "Making me laugh. _I'm supposed to be mad at you!"_

Aang frowned at this, his eyes leaving the road for a second to look at her. Her breath hitched slightly as their eyes met before he broke the connection with a soft blush.

"Are you?" he asked meekly.

She scowled at the road ahead, "I'm trying to… You grabbed her chest for Pete's sake!"

Aang spluttered, the car screeching as his foot missed the accelerator.

"Her _chest?!_ Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

Their was a pregnant pause as the younger teen tried to regain his wits. He shook his head shakily and his voice was slightly hoarse as he said, "Katara, I swear on Gyatso's grave that I have never touched a girls… bust… on purpose. I was trying to push her away. I swear to you."

Taking a deep calming breath Katara replayed these words in her mind. The tone in his voice was sincere and pleading for her to understand. Lightly she placed her hand over his, Aang intertwining their fingers together.

She squeezed his hand.

"I believe you, Aang. I'm sorry."

He squeezed her hand back.

"Thank you. I am a million times sorry. My great, great, great _grandkids _will be sorry."

Katara giggled lightly leaning her head against his shoulder. She found that her chin fit perfectly in the hollow of his neck. The thought made her smile. Aang blushingly wound an arm around her waist, kissing the top of her head in reconcilement.

The car was stopped now in front of her house. The others had not yet arrived and suddenly Katara was rather glad for it. She looked up to Aang's face and her lips were captured in a soft kiss.

It was warm and sweet. Without realising it, Katara pressed her face blindly to his her arms intertwining around his neck, whilst Aang gathered her onto his lap. Breaking apart, Aang's eyes locked with hers in a thunderstruck expression.

"Wow," she breathed raggedly, pressing her face into his chest.

Aang's arms draped themselves loosely around her, his chin leaning on her head, "Wow indeed."

A wolf whistle from a shiny red truck parked next to Aang's car caught their attention. Katara lazily lolled her head to see everyone hanging out of Iroh's truck laughing and in her brothers case, glaring at them.

"You want a second bruise to match the one you already have?" Sokka called out grouchily from the back seat of the truck, over Toph's shoulder.

"I'm good, Sokka!" Aang answered and then murmured into Katara's hair, "I'm more than good."


End file.
